


Uh oh

by garbageartist



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 20:24:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10884285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbageartist/pseuds/garbageartist
Summary: Sorry, i know the pacing is really bad, and the details could be better but we





	Uh oh

It was another day at work, of course Fruitcake's definition of work consisted of disturbing any humans on the surface to the point of mental (or physical) trauma, or death. Fruitcake worked for the government, like every other demon. However, unlike every other demon, his job was considered rare, and paid generously. The reason he was able to get such a unique job was mostly due to his humanoid appearance, a rarity amongst demons. He had two legs, two arms, one head and one torso. The only main exceptions to his human-like physique where his lower arms growing in size as they sloped towards his large and sharp hands. There was a gentle black gradient up both his arms, and legs, smoothly transitioning into his light red skin. He also, like most other demons, had a set of horns. His were curled down and out, towards his nose. He had dark brown hair, and eyes resembling that of the surface animal known as a "mountain goat." 

Today, Fruitcake's assignment was to terrorize one "Henry Young." The sun was setting, and so Fruitcake was waiting for his target to wander onto a dark street or go back to his empty house. This however, was proving to be quite a challenge. The target was annoyingly spending hours with another human of the opposite sex. They seemed to be on a date. As the hours crawled by, Fruitcake became more and more impatient, but also more intrigued. Listening to them talk, and watching them interact was almost like watching a TV show. At this point he would almost be disappointed to see their date end. This feeling, however, led to suspicion. Fruitcake had been taught his entire life that humans were dangerous, and that the only way to get them from waging all out war on all demon kind was to keep them afraid, and unaware. Any demons out on the field, like Fruitcake, were taught to leave no evidence of their presence, so that if the human they were targeting decided to tell of what they had seen, they would be viewed as crazy, or just a conspiracy theorist. Fruitcake thought more. He hadn't actually seen a human do anything bad before, had he? This target had especially shown traits of a loving, and accepting nature. With his thoughts filling with confusion, Fruitcake decided it would be best for him to return back home. He called in and a perfectly sized portal promptly opened up in front of him. 

He stepped in and found himself back in the S.C.A.R. building's transportation room. He quickly trotted over to his commanding officer, Kai. Kai was very tall, even without the high heeled boots he typically wore to work. He had short, curly hair, and pitch black eyes with a piercing white pupil slit. His horns were as sharp as they looked, and pointed forward in a "c" shape. His hands were long and pointed at the end, which had earned him the nickname "Shish Kai-bab" behind his back, Fruitcake always found it distasteful, personally he'd rather have Kai's hands than his own large, clunky ones. Kai had a permanently intimidating look on his face, which made it even harder for Fruitcake to bring himself to approach him. As Fruitcake walked over he felt more, and more unsure about himself. He started fidgeting with his shirt. The closer and closer he came, the clammier his hands got. One more step and he arrived in front of him. He straightened his back and put his arms at his side. 

"S-sir?" He asked anxiously. Kai turned around, looking directly into Fruitcake's eyes. His stomach dropped. Once he saw who it was, however, he redirected his attention back towards the small clipboard in his long, sharp hands.  

"Yes? What is it?" He said, sounding almost bored with the conversation already.  

"I've c-come back to report my time on the surface" 

"You're not new here FC, just fill out your paperwork and put it in the basket, like usual" He nonchalantly waved his hand towards the box on the wall to his left. 

"Yes, well, um... it's just that, I wanted to ask you something, a-about the humans?" Kai looked away from the clipboard he was holding.  

"What _about_ the humans, Fruitcake?" Fruitcake shrunk down, fiddling with his hands again. 

"It's just that, I-I can't remember ever seeing one of them doing something bad. A-and they don't even have a way of getting down here!" He began to sound more confident in what he was saying. He straightened back up, just slightly. "How come we still harass them?" He finally asked. The expression on Kai's face turned sour. 

"How come?! Have you forgotten all your training? All your work?" The shouts attracted the attention of some of the other people in the room. "Maybe you need to be rereminded of it?" He tried to calm himself down a bit, he took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm sending you upstairs, to talk to the General." Kai pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "If anyone can reteach you, it will be him." 

"B-but-" Fruitcake began, but before he could finish Kai pointed him off towards the elevators. He made his way over, slowly. If he wasn't nervous before, he definitely was now. He had heard rumor that the General was the meanest person you would ever meet, and that you'd never walk out of a room with him the same. Fruitcake stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button at the very top of the selection. He leaned back against the cold, metal wall and put his head in his hands. He let out a deep breath and thought to himself. He shouldn't have talked to Kai in the first place, he should have just done his job, and not questioned anything. He had an awful feeling of regret hanging over him, replaying everything he did wrong in his head. 

Finally, the elevator stopped on the top floor, and made a quick "ding!' Fruitcake stepped out into the hallway leading to the General's office. Again, a lump had formed in his throat from fear. It felt like the hallways stretched and got longer as soon as he began walking forward. One step. He considered turning around. He thought of facing Kai again, even angrier than before. Two steps this time. Maybe he could climb out the window and run away? He scoffed to himself. Only a few more strides to the door now. He could clearly see the label on the outside of the door, clarifying who it was who resided inside. It read, in black capital letters, "GENERAL ARTHUR HATCHER." He could hear a voice inside, but couldn't quite make out what it was saying yet. As he got nearer, the sounds started to form into comprehensible words. He could only make out the last bit of it. 

"Yes, thank you Kai, I'll take care of it" the sound of phone hanging up soon followed. Fruitcake stood in front of the door, his hand raised in a fist to tap on it. He was shaking. He sucked in some much needed air and took a hard gulp. He ever so gently tapped on the door. Fruitcake hoped there would be no answer, that he could just go home, convince himself that he had tried, and call it a day. 

"Come in" answered the voice. All his hope had fallen away at the sound. Fruitcake knew the General was aware of what he was there for, yet he sounded somewhat inviting. He slowly, and cautiously pried open the door. He was greeted by a surprisingly welcoming office. Shades of light blue on the walls and a dark gray carpet blanketing the floor. A large, bookcase covered the right wall, reaching from corner to corner.  There were two large black chairs facing towards the slick, modern looking desk of the General. There in his desk he sat, dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, small glasses resting on his bulky nose as he squinted at the computer diagonal to him. He looked up at Fruitcake, studying him carefully. 

"Have a seat" he said firmly, gesturing towards the chairs in front of him. Fruitcake walked over and lowered himself into one of the chairs, holding his hands in his lap. It felt like he had been called to the principal's office. The General looked back at his computer, squinting once again. "It's... Fruitcake, right?" He asked. Fruitcake nodded silently, glancing around the room nervously. "Strange name." He muttered to himself. Fruitcake picked at the edges of his fingers anxiously as he examined his surroundings. "Listen kid," he sighed as he removed his glasses and set them next to him. "Your CO, Kai, told me about what you said." There was a short pause, almost like he expected a response, but Fruitcake drew a blank when it came to what to say. The General tried asking again, as a question this time. "about the humans?" 

"Yes. I um, I-I know they're bad, it's just, just for a second, I thought m-maybe they had changed?" He replied hesitantly. "I-I know I'm wrong but-" 

"No son, you're completely right." Fruitcake sat there, mouth still slightly open, eyes wide. After a second or two, he finally responded. 

"I'm... n-not sure I understand. I'm, right?" 

"The truth is, the humans haven't been a threat to us for thousands of years. They're the reason it's so peaceful down here. We've all got our attention focused on hating the humans, rather than on each other. You see, the humans haven't figured that out yet, they keep fighting wars with each other." Fruitcake sat back in the chair, dumbfounded by what he was hearing, everything he knew had just been flipped on its head. He blinked a few times, and gathered up the courage to say something once more. 

"I- why are you telling me this?" 

"Well, you seem like the kind of kid who keeps investigating on your own until you get the answer you want. And now that you know, I can't have you working out in the field anymore." Fruitcake's mind switched from astonishment ,to fear, was he saying what he thought? He pulled out some pink paper from a nearby drawer and filled out some things before looking up again. Fruitcake was slightly relieved, but dread filled him as well. He had just found out the biggest news of his life and now he was getting fired. "Heh, don't look so worried, kid! You won’t be working again, but we gotta keep you quiet somehow. I'd say a healthy paycheck is the way to do it. I'll be sure to send you and your family a bigger check than you get now." 

"What will you do if I don’t keep quiet?" Fruitcake said, then immediately realized how threatening it sounded. 

"Then I'll kill you" Fruitcake let out a small chuckle. But when he saw the General's stone cold face and realized he wasn't kidding. His smiled dropped quickly after. 

"I-I'll be sure to k-keep quiet then" he let out a another weak laugh, but it was clear it wasn't genuine. He glanced around nervously again, wanting to leave the room as soon as possible. 

"Here," the General said, seemingly sensing his fear. He held out the pink paper over the desk towards Fruitcake. He slowly reached out his hand and flinched back when the General wiggled it impatiently. He grabbed it quickly, as if avoiding a bear trap, and drew it close to his body. "You give this to that boy Kai, and say goodbye to the rest of your team while you're at it." Fruitcake nodded and silently got up and walked to the door. He pulled open the door. Just as he was about to escape the General called out for him. "And remember kid," Fruitcake turned around nervously. "not a word of this to anyone. Understand?" 

"Y-yes sir." A large lump forming in his throat, he quickly turned back around and exited the room, speed-walking back down the hallway towards the elevator. He pushed the down button furiously, rushing for an unknown reason. He just knew that he wanted to get downstairs and out of the building as soon as possible. 

He hopped into the elevator and collapsed against the cold wall once again. He slid down onto the floor as the door slowly closed. He didn't bother even pressing any buttons but since this was one of the only elevators in the building, it started to descend anyway. Fruitcake gathered himself up and stood up again slowly. He felt nauseous, and couldn't wait to get outside into the fresh air. The elevator doors opened and an unfamiliar women stepped in. She looked at Fruitcake with surprise on her face. She pressed a button quickly and turned back towards him. 

"I saw that the elevator came from the top floor, were you talking with the General?" 

"Yes" Fruitcake said weakly, he felt drained after his encounter. 

"What happened?" 

"Huh?" He paused for a moment, remembering the General's warning. "oh, uh, I got fired" he held up the small pink slip in his hand. 

"Bummer, dude." The elevator dinged once again. "Ah, this is my floor, sorry to hear you got fired!" She quickly made her exit and the door shut once again. Fruitcake leaned forward to press the button to the transportation floor. He rubbed his face and pushed himself off the wall. He went over what he would say to Kai, and everybody else. He didn’t really know anyone, mostly he worked alone, and didn't stick around to socialize. He considered not saying anything to his coworkers after all, and came to the conclusion that it was for the best. He stood in silence for a few more moments, feeling the elevator move underneath him. Before he knew it, the elevator came to a stop, and the door opened up in front of him. He took his first steps out of the door into the large room. He glanced around and saw Kai only a few paces from his spot before. He sighed and made his way over to him.  

Kai was still holding a clipboard, with important looking papers on it. He turned as he saw Fruitcake headed towards him. He glanced down and saw the pink slip Fruitcake was holding in his hand and he looked at Fruitcake, eyes full of pity. Fruitcake held the paper out spitefully, still slightly angry from the event earlier. 

 

"General Hatcher said to show this to you, right after he told me I was fired." He remarked, bitterly. Kai set down his clipboard and attempted to take a step forward, but Fruitcake immediately recoiled back. 

"Fruitcake, I'm so sorry..." 

"For what? You didn’t mean for me to lose my job." He didn't sound like it, but Fruitcake didn't really blame Kai for getting him fired. 

"I didn’t think you would get fired FC, I don’t know what came over me. It's like when you mentioned the humans I, I just got so angry! I'm really sorry this happened..." Fruitcake felt bad about making Kai so upset. It wasn't fair to be so harsh with him. 

"It's okay Kai, really" Fruitcake place a hand on his shoulder and gave him as warm a smile he could manage. "I know you didn't mean it." He drew his hand back towards his body and dropped his smile as well. "I should probably get going, don’t want to get fired again!" They both let out a genuine chuckle. 

"I really enjoyed working with you here" said Kai. "Maybe we'll see each other again, hopefully under better circumstances than these. But regardless, I'll miss you FC." 

"I'll miss you too Kai, but it's time for me to go." He held out his arms for a hug, and they engaged in a quick embrace before they broke apart. Fruitcake stepped away towards the exit. He turned around once more before he left, and waved. He then continued towards his escape. The glass doors slid open as soon as he arrived in front of them and he stepped outside. He took a deep breath of the air and began walking back home. 

After a long journey up the apartment steps, Fruitcake stood in front of his door. He unlocked it and walked inside. He had only one roommate, and it was his younger sibling, Keylime. He saw them sitting on the couch wrapped up in a blanket. Hair tied up in a high bun, like usual. Unfortunately for Keylime, when it came the gene pool, they got the short end of the stick. Fruitcake was lucky to be born so humanoid, but Keylime was born with two extra arms, and two extra eyes. They did, however, share the same gradient that Fruitcake had, included on all pairs of arms and the one pair of legs. They also shared the same style of horns that Fruitcake had, brushing against their cheeks. Keylime looked up from the TV in front of them when they heard Fruitcake come in, and gave him a warm smile. 

"Hey FC, you're back early, done terrorizing the humans already?" 

"Yeah um, I uh." He hesitated for a moment. "I got fired, wasn't doing a good enough job I guess." He felt bad about lying to them, but he didn't want his family to get hurt because of him. Keylime frowned and looked at him suspiciously. 

"I don't believe you." They said. Fruitcakes heart skipped a beat. "Your great at your job! And besides, there's not enough demons that look like _you_ for them to fire even a bad worker." Fruitcake was dumbfounded, Keylime always found out his secrets, and they were relentless about finding out the truth. Fruitcake made his way over to the couch and sat down next to them, silent but still clearly surprised. "Do you want to talk about it? Did it have to do with Kai?" Fruitcake glared at them and they cracked a big smile. He looked around the apartment quickly, for no reason in particular. He gathered his thoughts, and prepared to speak. 

"I, I want you to first promise me that you won't tell this to anyone else, or even mention it, okay?" 

"Yeah, okay bro" They said in a joking manner. 

"No, you don't understand." He said, and his tone became more serious. "This is really important, I lied to you at first for a reason, I want to keep this secret, okay? It's more serious than a crush or whatever." They looked confused, and worried at the same time. 

"Okay FC, I promise. Just please tell me what's going on, you're starting to worry me..." Fruitcake began to recall everything that had happened, from his target, to Kai, to the General. To the threats. After everything, Keylime leaned back, processing everything they had just heard. It was a lot to take in, but they soon recovered. "I know you said that I shouldn't tell anyone, but don't you think the public needs to know?" That was definitely not the response he was expecting. They stood up and continued before he could answer. "I mean, we'll need evidence to prove it. And we'll need someone on the inside to help us break in." 

"No, no, don't you understand? They'll kill us if we tell anyone!" 

"They can't kill everyone! All we have to do is not get caught." Fruitcake considered this for a moment. He did believe that the public should know, and he didn't think the humans deserved to be taunted for no reason. He wondered if Kai knew, he didn't seem to at least. "I know that look FC, you're considering it aren't you?" Not only was he considering it, he was already forming a plan in his mind. "Oh! I have an idea! Why don’t you get help from your second best friend?" 

"My... second best friend?" 

"Harper!" 

"Oh, my mistake, I thought she was the first." He said sarcastically. "If she isn't, who is?" He asked, even though he knew the answer. 

"I am!" They both laughed heartily. 

"You're right though, we could use Harper's help." 

"Yes! We should go see her tomorrow morning. But right now... It's time for dinner." Keylime got up and tossed their blanket to Fruitcake, heading towards the kitchen. When dinner was cooked, they discussed the plan they would pitch to Harper the next day over their meals. She was medical personnel so she could sneak them into the building, from there they needed to find evidence that the government knew that the humans were harmless, and then all they had to do was escape undetected, and share their findings with as much press as they could find. They cleaned up dinner and tried to get as much sleep as they could manage. 

Keylime was the first one up, too excited to stay unconscious for very long. They tried to wait a bit before waking up Fruitcake, but the attempt only lasted about an hour. Fruitcake begrudgingly woke up to the sight of a very excited Keylime standing over him, poking his face in various places. Continuing even after he opened his eyes. 

"Stop." He firmly said, and they stopped. 

"Good morning to you too. Are you ready to go?" 

"Does it, does it look like I'm ready to go?" Fruitcake said, gesturing to the pajamas he was still in.  

"Okay well, do you think you can be ready in 10 minutes?" 

"Uh... yeah, I guess." Keylime left the room and Fruitcake began to get ready for the day. Within a few quick minutes he was ready to go out for the day. Keylime was waiting impatiently near the apartment's door, tapping their foot. When Fruitcake walked out of his room they perked up and tossed the apartment's keys to him, he promptly pocketed them. They both headed out the door and Fruitcake closed it behind them. 

The walk to Harper's workplace was short, she worked in the building next to Fruitcake's old one, so he was already used to the commute. The time passed quickly as they laughed and told stories. Keylime caught Fruitcake up on all the shows he missed while at work, and he described the most ridiculous looking humans he saw while out in the field, he found the ones with orange skin the funniest looking. Before they knew it, they arrived outside the facility. Harper worked out of a large tent near the airstrip, as to care for any emergency patients flying in. The two made their way to the tent, quickly and quietly, as to not be spotted and kicked out. Fruitcake blended in fine but Keylime stuck out like a ink blot on a white shirt. Fortunately, they snuck through undetected. They both walked into the tent, Fruitcake leading the stead. He spotted Harper leaning over a man in a gurney, busy doing... something. She was in her work uniform, which consisted of a lab coat, typically rolled up her arms due to the heat, and plain black shorts and a white shirt. Harper had slightly longer hair than Fruitcake and basic horns pointed straight up. She also had slightly darker red skin than Fruitcake that was speckled due to her condition vitiligo. She had a small pair of wings that were hidden under her shirt and only provided a small bump as a result, they weren't visible now, but Fruitcake had seen them on multiple occasions before. It was unclear as to what she was doing to the man in the bed but Fruitcake felt bad for interrupting regardless. 

"Oh! Sorry Harp, I didn't know you had a patient, should I come back later?" She turned to the two siblings and then looked back at the man. 

"Oh no no no, don’t worry about him. He's not even alive. What did you need?" They were both taken aback but the sudden subject change, but decided to just go with it. Keylime butted in, 

"We need to talk to you about something very serious, do you have some time to talk?" 

"For you Key, I always have time." She said with a gentle smile and a chuckle. Keylime decided to take on the role of explaining the plan while Fruitcake "kept lookout," or so he told himself. At the end he couldn’t figure out who was more invested, Keylime or Harper. She said that she had heard from some injured patients that claimed that they were attack by allies, but she never really believed it up until now. She pulled out a large book from one of the piles on the floor, somehow knowing exactly where it was. When she opened it up there were lots of strange symbols covering the pages. 

"In order for us to get into the building undetected, I'm going to enchant us so that we can walk right by security guards without them noticing." She smiled mischievously. "There is one side effect to this however."  

"What is it?" Both siblings asked simultaneously. 

"The symbol will appear as a tattoo, and even after the spell wears off, it will stay on your skin, permanently. Fortunately, it will be painless to apply." 

"Oh well that's not too bad" Said Fruitcake. If it meant exposing the government in return, he could deal with a little tattoo. 

"What's the symbol?" Asked Keylime. "I don't want something ugly on me forever, I've got my face for that." Harper flipped around the book and pointed to one particular symbol that looked like an upside down, double sided axe. It was elegant, yet simplistic. 

"Ironically, this symbol used to be used to represent rebellion, thousands of years ago." Explained Harper. Keylime smiled wide. 

"That's so cool! It can represent our _cause._ " They held up a fist dramatically and Fruitcake laughed. Harper was special in the fact that she could perform magic without any materials to assist her. This often resulted in sub-par magic, but it was useful nonetheless. She yelled for someone to come haul out the body and a worker promptly did so. 

"Where would you like it to be? The tattoo.” Fruitcake pointed to his lower abdomen and Keylime pointed to their upper left arm. Harper pulled the book closer to her and started first with Fruitcake. She gracefully waved her hands over his stomach and a bright light started glowing from her fingers, smoke began billowing from the light and a small white image began to form on his skin. Fruitcake squeezed his eyes shut as the light shone brighter and brighter. Harper quickly pressed down on the forming image and the light was absorbed in. She slowly moved her hands away and the white symbol was there, crisp and well defined. Fruitcake opened his eyes and looked down at the new tattoo, he brushed it slightly with his fingers and sat up. He stood up and Keylime took his spot. They turned so that their shoulder was facing towards Harper and she began her ritual once again. Soon enough it was Harper's turn. She sat in front of a mirror, back to it, and lifted up the back of her shirt, exposing her tan, fluffy wings. She repeated the spell for a final time on herself, the small axe appeared right between her wings, directly on her spine. Finally, they were ready to execute their plan, all they had to do was wait for night fall. 

Soon enough, the sky darkened, it got blacker and blacker until hardly anything could be seen. The group got up and grabbed the things they would need, including flashlights, bags, and Keylime even packed snacks. Before they exited the tent, Harper said something in a language the siblings couldn't understand and all three of their new tattoos simultaneously began glowing. They began walking towards the S.C.A.R. building, luckily, it was close by, only a few yards. There was a security guard posted outside the main entrance, now was the time to find out if the spell really worked. Harper walked by first, completely confident in her own skills. After she went by unnoticed Fruitcake and Keylime awkwardly speed-walked by, still trying to avoid the beam of light from the flashlight. Harper walked in front of the door's sensors and when it slid open she froze and looked over at the guard. She stared wide eyed when the motion elicited no response from them. She shrugged and gestured for the siblings to follow. Soon they were all in the building and the doors slid close behind them.  

The building was pitch black and all the lights were off. Fruitcake pulled some flashlights out of Keylime's bag and passed them out to the group. Fruitcake now began leading the stead, as he knew his way around the building better than the others. They passed by the transportation room on the way to the elevator. Fruitcake thought about his goodbye with Kai. He felt bad about the fact that soon he would be out of the job as well, and that he would never see him again to say sorry. He shook the thoughts from his head and continued leading the group toward their way upstairs. His mood had suddenly switched, he felt ready, the plan was airtight, and he felt like a very successful spy. He pressed the up button on the elevator. It opened instantly. Everybody stepped inside and Fruitcake pressed the button to the General's office for the second time within 48 hours, this time, not nervous, but instead, confident. 

Everybody was silent, even Keylime, who was usually very talkative. After a few minutes of patiently waiting, the elevator halted to a stop on the top floor. The door opened and they all began walking down the hallway towards the General's office. About halfway down the hall, they could hear the elevator door behind them quietly close. A few steps later and the General walked out of his office. Fruitcake froze in fear. Keylime gently slid him closer to the wall in order to not be walked into. The magic could make them practically invisible, but if someone bumped into them, they would definitely be suspicious. Harper was already pressed against the wall, already fearful from all the times she had been yelled at for losing a patient. After he passed, they all shuffled nearer to the office door. Suddenly the General stopped in his tracks, and so did everybody else. He turned his head in inch or two to the left. Fruitcake held his breath. The General scoffed to himself and continued to the elevator. The all let out a deep breath and began walking towards the office once again.  

Fruitcake opened the door and walked behind the dark desk. He flicked on a lamp light on the corner of the desk.  He opened the first drawer. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for but he figured he'd recognize it when he saw it. Meanwhile, Keylime plopped down in a seat and Harper began examining the large bookshelf on the wall, cocking her head to the side to read the titles. Fruitcake continued skimming through the files, looking for any mention of the humans. He got to the very end of the first drawer and sighed. 

"No luck FC?" Whispered Keylime.  

"Not yet, it's just the first drawer though." He replied, in in even quieter tone. Keylime nodded, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary. A few more files went by until Fruitcake stumbled upon one that caught his attention. It was Kai's file. His eye's widened as he pulled the full folder out of the drawer, making sure to make a mental note of where it went. He opened to the first page and saw at the top "Subject #13 For Brainwashing." Fruitcake's gut dropped, he felt nauseous. He began breathing faster and was so confused. He brought his attention back to the page, slowly. It began to describe the conditions of his fealty. It read that whenever humans were mentioned, a rage took over the subject, and that when directed with a special code word (not listed), he would do whatever was commanded of him. Fruitcake read on, hardly believing what he was reading. Harper, who was still examining the books, noticed Fruitcake's unusual behavior and walked over to him, peering over his shoulder. She quickly read the page the file was open to and took a step back in surprise. 

"Fruitcake..." She said, watching his face. He didn’t respond. She searched her mind for something to say to him. Her face suddenly lit up. "Fruitcake!" She exclaimed. He whipped his head around and put a finger on to his lips to shush her. "Sorry sorry" she lowered her voice. "It's just, I read about a brainwashing spell in one of my books, it was used in ancient times but is generally not known about now." 

"What's your point?" Said Fruitcake in a meek voice. 

"It's reversible! That's why it's not used anymore, it's not permanent." Fruitcake turned to her, eyes now full of hope. He tucked away Kai's file in his bag and continued his search, now invigorated. 

Finally, after a few papercuts and endless reading, Fruitcake had found what he was looking for. In the back of the third drawer was a large file labeled simply "Humans." Every page was filled with enough information to bring down the whole facility. He jumped up from his seat and Keylime and Harper turned their attention towards him. 

"I found it!" He said, in a whisper-yell. He handed the file over to Harper who glanced at the inner contents. Her eyes lit up and she looked back at him. 

"All we need to do now is get out of here, which should be a breeze with our spells." Commented Keylime. Harper handed the file back to Fruitcake and he put it in his bag along with the other file. He slung it onto his shoulder and began for the doorway. Everybody had a pep in their step as they arrived at the elevator, Fruitcake pushed the down button again. 

The elevator was on its way down to the first floor when about halfway it suddenly stopped. Everybody froze. The worst thing in this situation would be for the elevator to get stuck. Fruitcake looked at the door, than back to Harper and Keylime. 

"We have to open it." He said quietly. 

"What? Fruitcake did you say something?" Replied Harper. 

"I said we have to open it, the door. We can pull it open if we work together." He looked at both of them, and everyone shared glances. Keylime nodded and prepared to pry it open. Harper joined them, positioning herself on the other door. Fruitcake wedged his fingers in the small crack. "Pull!" Everyone pulled with all their might, and soon enough, a small gap began to form between the doors. Once the gap was big enough to fit through they let go. Fruitcake took a moment to catch his breath and even pulled out a small water bottle to help. The elevator was stuck between two floors, but the ground of the lower one wasn't visible. 

"Okay, who wants to go first?" Asked Harper. "I think we should give a boost to the floor above." 

"I'll, I'll go first." Fruitcake and Harper turned to Keylime. "Are you sure?" Asked Harper. Keylime nodded. 

"Once you get up there you have to help me get Harper up there too, okay?" Asked Fruitcake, putting a hand on their shoulder. 

"Got it" Harper and Fruitcake positioned themselves to push Keylime onto the next floor. After a few short hauls they scrambled onto the tiles and put back on their bag. "Ready!" Fruitcake began pushing Harper up in a similar manner and she was pulled up promptly. 

"Wow, Key, you're stronger than I thought, pull me up now, please." He reached his arms up and was hauled up by the wrists. He was then raised into the air by a much taller figure than Keylime. In front of him was the face of the General. He was dropped, hard, onto the ground. His blood turned cold, he saw two guards carrying Harper and Keylime's bodies. He inspected the guards closer, looking anywhere but at the threat in front of him, and discovered that Kai was one of them, emotionless, like a robot. 

"You thought you're little spell would work on me, huh?" Said the General, ripping Fruitcake's attention from his friends. "I'll admit, it did at first, but I could sense you." He leaned down to make eye contact with Fruitcake. He froze in place. "I'm the one who put your little friend Kai there in a trance, you didn't think I could see through an avoidance spell?" He got closer to Fruitcakes face. "Well boy? You gonna say something?" Fruitcake opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He sat there wide eyed, shaking all over. "Of course not" He muttered. The General grabbed Fruitcake by the wrist once again and began dragging him down the dark hallway, the two soldiers followed. Fruitcake struggled against his grasp, not even knowing where he would go if he escaped. He kicked, and squirmed, even scratched. They approached a set of rooms and the General stopped. He turned to the soldiers and waved them off. "Kill the other two." 

"No! Don't, please!" Fruitcake was finally broke from his shock. He struggled desperately towards them, but they disappeared from view as he was dragged into an empty concrete room. The General threw him against a wall. Fruitcake hit his head against the cold floor and saw the blurry shape of the General walking away. His ears were ringing. He tried to stand up and failed miserably. He tried again, leaning against a wall. He fell against the door and tried to pry it open. It was locked from the outside. His vision began to clear up. He saw that there were no windows in the room and there seemed to be faded blood stains on the ground and up the walls. Fruitcake backed away from the door and fell backwards. He pulled his knees close to him and began to tear up. Muffled, in the other room, he could hear what sounded to be shouts or screams. He pushed his hands hard against his head, trying to block out everything. He closed his eyes tight, which made him even dizzier. His tears still managed to break past his eyelids, spilling out and down his cheeks. He opened his eyes when he felt a foot kick against his. Above him stood the General, he glared down at him, with a long sickle at his side. Fruitcake lowered his hands from his ears and began trying to back away as much as he could. The General grabbed Fruitcake with one arm and raised him into the air. 

"Do you remember what I said I would do if you didn't keep quiet?" He said as he brought the weapon to his chest. He slowly dragged the blade across him, pain shot through Fruitcake as he could feel the blood dribble down his chest. He sliced again, in a shorter burst, and then once more. The shape he created resembled somewhat of a backwards percent sign. After he was done, he slowly brought the point of the weapon to the symbol on Fruitcake's stomach. "This tattoo of yours represents rebellion." He frowned deeply. "I'm going to show you what happens to people who rebel against me." He quickly raised the sickle into the air. Fruitcake was shaking hard and tears were rolling down his face. 

"n-no please don-" Before he could finish his sentence, the General brought the sickle down. There was a thud. Fruitcake could feel his insides pouring out onto the ground. The General raised the sickle once again, his arm and the tool covered in dark purple shades. He was reeling back when a sound came from outside the door. The General dropped what was left of Fruitcake on the ground, sprawled out, as well as his sickle, resting between the two pieces. Fruitcake's vision was fading, he looked down with the remaining strength he had left. He could see his legs, which felt too far away. He could see the blood pooling up on his chest and all around him. A sea of purple around him. His head felt fuzzy, and everything was turning white. The door slammed open, and Harper and Kai came rushing through. She bent over him, hands hovering over his stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and began chanting as Fruitcake eyes fell closed. 

Dark, it was dark. There was nothing, nothing but darkness. Until there was a light. There at the source was a winged women, calling out to him.  

"Fruitcake..." She said "come back." She reached out to him, and he drew closer and closer. Suddenly there was another shape, a man this time. Fruitcake reached towards them. He could now see who was calling out to him. The faces of Harper, and Kai, came into view. They were both crying. They were holding him. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the new light. He looked at his friends, his loved ones, then down at himself. Everything ached, his legs were still too far away, still coated in blood, but his chest now had but a large scar where he was cut. He used the support of the people around him in order to help him see down better. There was a gap, the space between him and his hips were empty. He looked at Harper, fearful, and scared. She wiped away a few tears. 

"The healing spell I did, it closed all of your wounds.... including where you were, c-cut apart." She sounded scared but she tried to have a kind look. "the good news is, I might be able to create a new pair for you, but I need my book." Fruitcake continued to look around anxiously, first at Kai, then the body outside the door, then at nothing in particular, just wandering eyes.  

"Where's Key?" He finally asked, coughing up some blood. Harper broke into tears again, and Kai took Fruitcake's hand into his own. 

"Harper was able to get me out of my mind control but, by the time we took down the other guard it... it was too late." He told him. Fruitcake looked out the door, he felt hopeless. He had lost everything, his legs, his only family, and all for what? Taking down a government for the useless humans? He was angry, It was all his fault, he should have never told Keylime anything. It should have been him. Harper placed a hand on his shoulder, focusing his attention back on the real world. 

"I'm sorry FC, but there are going to be more people on the way, we have to go." He shook his head. 

"No, no, I can’t leave them here, please, please we can't leave... not now." Harper looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. She nodded at Kai and he gently lifted him into the air, holding him in his arms. Fruitcake wailed, he tried to push away. They stepped over the General's body. Fruitcake scratched and screamed, he reached towards the room, the room that his family had to be in. They reached the stairs, and began their descent. Kai was silent, he kept his eyes forward. Fruitcake's movement slowed when he felt a cold drop of water splash against him. He looked up at Kai, tears streaming from both of their eyes. He gave up, he held his own sides. Harper was sniffling, clutching the bag close to her chest. Nobody said anything the entire way down. They found a back entrance and took sanctuary in Harper's tent. 

Kai set Fruitcake down on a bed and sat against a wall. He pulled himself close and didn't say anything. Harper took a seat next to Fruitcake, the large, old book resting in her lap. Her voice was rough when she spoke, and cracked often, but she explained the spell the Fruitcake regardless.  

"Due to the fact that your abdomen healed over, I won't be able to connect the legs to you, directly. They will float a few inches below you, and you yourself maybe be able to float as well. Okay?" Fruitcake nodded, not looking at her, only half listening. She looked at the book once more and began speaking in an unusual tongue. A bright blue light began to glow where Fruitcake's torso now ended, and got so bright that he couldn't watch. A few seconds later and the light began to dissipate. Fruitcake looked down and saw a pair of legs very similar to his old ones, sitting in their place. There was also an extra, connecting piece floating between Fruitcake's torso and his new legs. It had blue-green scales on it. The new legs were missing the gradient that they typically had, but other from that, they were identical to his old ones, the ones that were sitting in a building just yards from him. 

"Thank you Harper" he said with what little strength he had left. A few seconds later, he drifted off to sleep, he was exhausted. Kai came over and covered him in a warm blanket. 

The next morning, Fruitcake attempted get out of bed. He removed the blanket and saw that the pair of legs he now had were much different from the ones he possessed last night. His new pair of legs actually resembled that of a goat. This unveiling caught the attention of Harper, who was sleepily watching nearby. She came over and looked at them from all angles. She opened back up the book, and walked back over to Fruitcake when she had come to a sensible conclusion. 

"It, it seems as though this is a side effect of the spell, it's not stable enough to keep one form for extended periods of time, it seems. From what I've concluded, however, they shouldn't just disappear completely." Fruitcake laid back in bed, and put his hands over his face. Everything was just too much. 

"Harper." He said meekly, waving her closer. "You need to tell the press, about what happened, about everything, I can't go in my state, but you can. I'll have Kai take me home, please, be safe." She nodded and opened her book. She flipped to a page on identity conciliation. A few short words and she wasn't even recognizable to Fruitcake. She grabbed the stained bookbag and made her way towards the press building. Fruitcake looked to Kai, who had made a makeshift bed next to his. He gently shook him awake. 

"Kai, the police will be arriving here soon, can you help me back to my apartment?" He nodded and stood, stretching slightly. Fruitcake sat up and slung an arm over Kai's shoulder for support. The new hooves weren't ideal for walking, but Fruitcake began to adjust to them. By The time the two made it to the steps of the apartment, they could hear sirens in the distance, rushing towards the S.C.A.R. facility. The pair made their way into the apartment and rested on the couch in the living room. There was a long stretch of silence before either of them said anything. 

"I'm sorry, about Keylime" Kai began "I wasn't able to save them" he looked down at the ground, ashamed. 

"It's not your fault Kai, I never should have involved them in this." 

"No, you did the right thing, it was the General who gave the order, and he got what was coming to him." Fruitcake nodded. He felt just slightly better knowing that what Keylime wanted was achieved. They did tell the public of what was really going on. Fruitcake turned to Kai, trying to lighten the mood.  

"Hey I guess, we can be unemployment buddies now." He said with a light smile. Kai smiled back. 

"Guess so." 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, i know the pacing is really bad, and the details could be better but we


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